Germany: Angela Merkel secures fourth term as Chancellor

Germany: Angela Merkel secures fourth term as Chancellor

Angela Merkel will serve a fourth term as German Chancellor after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian counterpart, the Christian Social Union (CSU), secured 33% of the vote in Germany’s national election on Sunday.

The Social Democrats (SPD) led by Martin Schulz received 20.5% of the vote, with the Green and Left parties securing 8.9% and 9.2% respectively.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) made tremendous ground with 10.7% of the vote. However the FDP’s comeback has been overshadowed by the populist party Alternative for Germany, which clenched 12.6% of the vote, making it the first far-right party in the German Parliament for more than half a century.